


don't get in my way

by lovendor



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Fist Fights, no major plot spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:46:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25672294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovendor/pseuds/lovendor
Summary: “Since Holst isn’t here to do the honors, I’ve spread the word that nobody is fit to marry you unless they can defeat the Sensational King of Grappling in a fight,” Balthus haughtily declared.“No one is that dumb! No one around here thinks they can beat the Stupendous King of Grappling or whatever!” Hilda groaned in dismay. Although, there was one person she had in mind that could give even Balthus a run for his money. But would he be able to rise to the occasion?
Relationships: Caspar von Bergliez & Hilda Valentine Goneril, Caspar von Bergliez/Hilda Valentine Goneril
Comments: 5
Kudos: 25





	don't get in my way

**Author's Note:**

> Hilspar Week 2020  
> Day Three: Rough and Tumble
> 
>   
> I'm not much of a writer and this is my first time ever really publishing anything, but I wanted to contribute something to celebrate the week for one of my favorite pairings in the game! 

When Balthus had made the declaration that anyone who wanted to marry Hilda had to go through him first, he hadn’t expected a good number of idiots to actually accept his challenge. Granted, he did give them a chance for a sneak attack—and _boy_ did some of them try, but none were successful. Today, it looked like a few decided to band their brain cells together for a coordinated attack.

Two of the men restrained Balthus, while another landed some harsh blows to weaken him. The Almighty King of Grappling was ready to topple over. That is, until a strong punch knocked away one of the assailants.

“Hey, hey, hey! Three versus one, guys? Seriously? If you’re gonna fight, at least make it even!” Caspar barked, shaking his head in disappointment.

“This _is_ even, you idiot—” one guy protested. He wasn’t able to say much before Balthus shrugged his grip off and decked him. That’ll teach him to lose focus on his target. Someone that can’t even multitask didn’t deserve Hilda anyway.

Caspar couldn’t help but stare in awe as Balthus cleaned up the rest of the bunch. The hooks, the jabs, the way he clobbered one of them hard enough that a tooth flew out of their mouth. Caspar always enjoyed sparring with him in the training grounds, but he had a feeling that he was holding back to some degree. But this? This definitely looked like Balthus at full capacity. And for once, Caspar stood aside and marveled at the beauty of the carnage.

“Don’t bother tryin’ again, yeah?” Balthus dusted off his hands as the trio limped away. He was startled to hear applause from Caspar, who he had forgotten was there. “Oh, hey! Thanks for the assist, pal.”

“No problem! It grinds my gears seeing people gang up on someone,” Caspar clenched his fist, shaking it in the direction the men had slinked off towards. He loosened his grip to scratch his head. “But I guess in the end, you didn’t really need my help.”

“You kiddin’? If you hadn’t shown up they woulda kicked my ass. I owe ya,” Balthus laughed. Suddenly, his expression darkened. “But if it’s gold you’re after, I’ll kick your ass, too.”

Caspar’s eyes lit up at the opportunity that presented itself. “Nah, all I want is a good fight. Give it all ya got,” he decided.

Balthus tilted his head in confusion, then laughed again upon realizing how much he liked this guy. Almost reminded him of himself! “You saw all that and still wanna go? Can’t tell if you’re just stupid or have a death wish,” he said.

“Well the best way to get to know someone is through fighting them, right? I know you’ve been pulling your punches when we train. That’s kind of like lying when you think about it!” Caspar insisted.

“Finally, someone who gets it! Never thought I’d meet someone else who loves a real good tussle,” Balthus grinned. “Heh, somebody actually noticed. Figured if I went at 100, we wouldn’t have any soldiers left on the field. Glad to know I don’t need to go easy on ya.”

“Haha yeah, everyone else goes ‘ _Caspar stop getting into fights!’_ and ‘ _Caspar quit screaming into battle!’_ or _‘Caspar that’s my sandwich!’_. But not you and Hilda. You guys get me,” he said.

Balthus felt his eye twitch at the mention of Hilda’s name. So…that was this guy’s angle, huh? He was somewhat disappointed. Here he thought he found a good friend to bond with, but in the end, it was nothing more than a struggle for her hand in marriage. His expression became serious again. This wasn’t the time to be caught off-guard. After all, his best friend Holst was depending on him!

“Put up or shut up then, pal. Let’s go, just you and me—last man standing wins,” he said, drawing his fists upwards and readying his stance.

Caspar didn’t notice the sudden hostility, too busy grinning in delight that he was finally going to have a challenging fight. “YEEEEEAAAAAH! YOU’RE GOING DOWN!” he yelled, already charging towards his opponent in a guns a-blazing manner.

No matter how many times Balthus had heard Caspar’s screaming (and occasionally joined in), the booming volume of his voice never failed to unnerve him. This is all just part of a scheme to distract him, yeah? When Caspar charged straight into him, Balthus felt confident in being able to grab the younger one without much effort. Did he really think that this would work on him? It’s childish, even for him.

However, it was that underestimation that proved to be his downfall when Caspar stood up straight—bashing the top of his skull into Balthus’ jaw. The elder recoiled, his arms immediately releasing the scrappy fighter. He moved back a few steps, trying to get his bearings again fast. It took too much time, with Caspar unleashing a flurry of follow-up attacks.

Balthus won’t lie, those jabs packed a painful punch. He hacked a spit onto the ground, ignoring the taste of blood in his mouth. “That the best you got?! The Spectacular King of Grappling won’t go down to cheap tricks!” he screamed. He wasn’t about to let this chump prevail!

“What on EARTH are you two DOING?” an annoyed feminine voice shrieked. The two men paused mid-fight to turn their heads in her direction. Standing nearby with her hands square on her hips was Hilda, who looked none-too-pleased at the sight she stumbled on while avoiding Seteth.

“Hey Hilda! Nothin’ much, we’re just fighting,” Caspar waved. Balthus pulled him in a friendly headlock, a fake smile plastered on his lips.

“Uh, yeah, I can see that. But right now? In the middle of the courtyard?” she asked. Her eyebrow raised suspiciously. This was pretty standard behavior for Caspar, but Balthus? He usually saved his energy for running from bounty hunters, yet here he was covered in cuts and bruises. 

“Hilda! We do this all the time, right Caspar? Kid’s really coming up in the grappling world, might even be able to stand a chance against the Indomitable King of Grappling someday,” Balthus commented, ruffling the other’s hair.

“What’re ya talkin about? I was win--,” Caspar began before Balthus flexed his arm to exert a gentle squeeze on his neck. The former frowned. He didn’t like being called a child, and it _was_ true that he was moments away from declaring victory. What was up with this act anyway? It’s not like Hilda hated seeing others fight. In fact, he was wondering why she seemed so angry at the moment.

“Baltie, I swear! I don’t care what Holst says, you can’t just go around targeting my friends like this!” Hilda complained. She pointed a finger at the bulky man, face fixed in a scowl as she stomped towards the two. Though she was significantly smaller than them in size, that expression made the men nervous.

“Chill, yeah! I would never do that! And Caspar’s my friend, right buddy? He’s the one that wanted to spar!” Balthus insisted. He let go of Caspar and held up both of his hands defensively, backing away as Hilda drew closer. Caspar turned his head to look back at the older quizzically. Sure, they trained together often, but he wasn’t sure they were _friends_.

Hilda hummed in disbelief. “Is that true, Caspar? You started this?” she questioned.

The pleading puppy-dog eyes from Balthus suggested enough. He let out a sigh, rubbing the back of his head. “I don’t know about started, but I did challenge him,” he said. “Saw a bunch of other guys piling on him, figured I’d throw my hat into the ring.”

“Oh Caspar…” Hilda gasped softly. Her expression softened at his words. Without warning, she threw her arms around him and pulled him into a hug. Confused but not alarmed, he reciprocated the action. “I saw some of the fight. He was totally kicking your ass, Baltie! I say he wins!”

Caspar didn’t dare turn around, as he could feel daggers being stared straight into his back. “That’s not how it works Hilda, and you know it,” Balthus protested.

“Why not? This whole thing is bogus anyway! Ohh, I think I get it. You just don’t want to admit you lost, is that it?” she asked. “Holst won’t think any less of you, Baltie. You did your best!”

“That ain’t it!” Balthus grunted in frustration. The two went back and forth, their arguments droning on and on, much to Caspar’s annoyance. He tuned out the squabble, waiting for all of it to be over so he can get back to fighting. Seconds turned to minutes and time started to blur. At some point he even squat on the ground to rest his legs. Finally, he got so fed up with it all that he leapt back up and started yelling.

“If you guys are gonna fight, then settle it with your fists!” Caspar screeched. The others looked at him stunned.

“Are you crazy? Holst would kill me if I even raise a finger at his sister,” Balthus said.

“Yeah, no. You know I don’t like getting into fights, especially the physical kind,” Hilda mentioned.

“Then step aside Hilda, I’ll settle this once and for all,” Caspar insisted, gesturing her to step back so that he and Balthus could have some space. “When I’m through, you’ll be smitten all over again!”

“Smitten, huh? Say pal, let me see that face of yours,” Balthus growled through clenched teeth.

Caspar dodged his grubby mitts. “Nah, I think I’m good!” he insisted.

The two went back and forth, trading blows and taunts in an effort to goad the other one into a mindless attack they could easily counter. In all fairness, they appeared to be evenly matched. Though, that thought in itself irritated Balthus to no end. He prided himself on his reputation as one of the best grapplers in the world. To have not already buried his opponent in the dirt either meant he was getting softer, or others were catching up to him. Neither option was good.

At some point, it became less about strength and more on who had the stamina—the ability to endure each hit. With his age and experience, it looked like Balthus had the upper hand. He began capitalizing at every move whenever he noticed Caspar’s muscles tremble.

“What’s the matter, kid? Strong enough?” Balthus howled. He rotated speedily, landing an uppercut to Caspar’s cheek, and an undercut to the jaw. As he staggered backwards, Balthus grabbed him from behind. “Give it up already. We both know who’s gonna win.” He squeezed tightly to constrain the torso, annoyed at all the squirming from attempts to break free.

“I’m not going down!” Caspar hissed. He rammed an elbow into Balthus’ ribcage, slamming a heel onto his foot. When the latter recoiled, Caspar managed to escape his grip and turn back around. With all of his remaining might, he threw several scrappy punches straight into the man’s face, before wrapping the combo up with a firm knee in the groin. Balthus collapsed to his knees. He shuddered in pain, arms wrapped over his body. It was over.

Tears streaked down Hilda’s cheeks. This had really happened, Caspar actually triumphed! Relief and joy swept over her. Caspar was right, she couldn’t resist feeling smitten once more.

Catching his breath, Balthus placed a hand on Caspar’s shoulder. “Congrats kid, you did it. You somehow managed to defeat the Marvelous King of Grappling. Must be your lucky day,” he said with a smile. “Well a deal is a deal. Man, you must really love Hilda. Make sure you take good care of her, or you’ll have to answer to an even higher power than me.”

Caspar’s face flushed bright red. “Huh? Wait, what?” he sputtered. His gaze went back and forth between Balthus and Hilda. Utterly confused, the sounds from his mouth devolved into mindless babbling.

“…Surely you knew what the stakes were before picking a fight with me, yeah? Beat me in a fight and win Hilda’s hand in marriage,” Balthus blinked. Hilda’s eyes widened as a realization dawned on her. A hand flew up to her mouth to cover a snicker.

“You didn’t know about this at all, did you? You just wanted a good brawl,” she laughed. Caspar averted his gaze, too embarrassed to admit it out loud. “It’s fine, don’t stress yourself out over my brother’s archaic ideas.”

“Speak for yourself, I can’t believe I got whooped for the fun of it!” Balthus shrugged.

Caspar wiped his face, hand on his chin as he stood there in deep thought. The other two wondered how long until his head would explode from thinking so much. “Hilda…I can’t marry you right now,” he confessed.

“Thank goodness,” she sighed in relief. The men looked at her in surprise, Caspar feeling a tinge of heartbreak. She backtracked on her words, frantically waving her hand. “Not because I _don’t_ want to marry you Caspie! It’s just…with the war and everything else going on—” Hilda scrambled to find the right words.

“No, I get what you’re sayin’. This war has taken a lot from us. It’s tied us up and made us worry about if there would even be a tomorrow. There’s still so much left I wanna do with my life before thinking about settling down,” Caspar said.

A small smile curled on Hilda’s lips. “That’s the Caspar I know. The free spirit who lets his heart guide him,” she giggled. Balthus thought he was going to gag from how mushy this was all turning.

Sparks ignited in Caspar’s eyes as an idea popped into his head. “You’re right Hilda, I do a lot of things pretty impulsively. But there _is_ something I want to plan ahead of time. I can’t propose to you yet, but when this war is over, I want you to come with me. Let’s travel the world together,” he grinned.

The word _yet_ piqued Hilda’s interest, her eyebrows raising in delight. “Traveling, hmm? I hate walking around and getting sweaty but…if it’s with you? I think I can manage,” she replied.

“YEAH! You won’t regret it Hilda! I’ll show ya all kinds of beautiful sights!” Caspar cheered.

Balthus cleared his throat to remind them that he was still there. “Don’t I get a say in any of this?” he interrupted.

“Nope,” Hilda rejected. “Come on Caspar, let’s get you to the infirmary so I can patch you up.”

“Hey wait—What about me? Hilda? I’m injured, too! Bruised real bad!” Balthus called out after the couple as they walked away.

“I’ll think about it,” Hilda gestured. She turned her attention back to Caspar, who still had a victorious grin on his face. “So where are we going first?”


End file.
